joined our church and began serving the Lord in all sorts of ways .
Lesson Learned : Numbers do not matter . God is a personal God who is interested in individuals . Success is never based on how many people are in attendance .
SCENE 5 : Fast forward to today . I am a mentor mom for my daughter ’ s neighborhood Bible study . I got grand-mothered in when we were temporarily living with my daughter and her family while we looked for a place to live . We were living in a brand new condo when my husband was diagnosed with dementia . I saw the handwriting on the wall and knew that if I was going to care for him at home , I was going to need my children ' s help and I needed to make it convenient for them . Well , our condo sold before we found a house .
I attended while I lived with her , but told myself I was too old and needed not to be there when I moved out of her home . I had heard about a book called , Giddy Up Eunice , and read it just before I was going to tell everyone that I wouldn ' t be back to Bible study . It was all about the need for the older women to mentor the younger ones . It was God convicting me not to leave the group , not to buy into Satan ' s lies concerning age . I stayed on and have seen much fruit from my time with these young women .
Lesson Learned : Age is not a barrier to service , especially old age . In fact , my son says I am at the prime of my serving years .
One of the fringe benefits of having Bible studies in our home is the impact on my children . All their growing up years , this is what my children saw . As a result , they figured this what you are supposed to do , and I never said otherwise . All of them have had Bible studies in their homes and joy of all joys , my granddaughter had a Bible study this summer with eight of her high school friends , some of whom do not attend church .
As I look back , I see how I ’ ve been wooed with a grace I don ’ t deserve . I ’ ve experienced love like I could never imagine . It ’ s the quiet whisper of a breeze , the powerful pull of the ocean ’ s tide , thunder across the skies , deep rumbling laughter . It ’ s beautiful , it ’ s scary , it ’ s wondrous .
It ’ s understanding that God ’ s character is predictable but His activities are unpredictable . I have learned that instead of just accepting His unpredictability , I can actually appreciate and embrace it because HE IS an AMAZING GOD !
By Nancy Samra
Nancy has been a member of Calvary for 26 years . Widowed after 48 years of marriage , she is a mother of three , grandmother of eleven and spiritual mom to a number of others . Her greatest joy is being able to continue to serve the Lord she loves .
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